James Hawes to Direct ‘Snowpiercer’ Pilot Reshoots for TNT (EXCLUSIVE)
By Joe Otterson
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – The “Snowpiercer” series at has found its new director.
James Hawes has boarded the drama series as co-executive producer and director, Variety has learned exclusively, and will oversee reshoots on the show’s pilot.
Hawes joins the show less than two weeks after the pilot’s original director, Scott Derrickson, announced he would not return for the reshoots. Derrickson claimed that the decision was due to the “radically different vision” of the series’ new showrunner, Graeme Manson, from that of original showrunner and series creator Josh Friedman, who left the show in January .
“The 72-page TV pilot script by @Josh_Friedman is the best I’ve ever read. The feature-length pilot I made from that script may be my best work. The new showrunner has a radically different vision for the show. I am forgoing my option to direct the extreme reshoots,” Derrickson tweeted on June 29.
Hawes joining the show keeps him in the TNT fold. He recently directed two episodes of TNT’s period drama “The Alienist,” a psychological thriller set in late-19th century London. His other recent TV directing credits include “Black Mirror,” “The Mist,” “Penny Dreadful,” and “Genius.” He has also worked extensively in British television, directing episodes for shows like “Doctor Who,” “The Bill,” and “Merlin.”
He is repped by Paradigm and 42 Management.
“ Snowpiercer ,” based on the 2014 Bong Joon Ho film and ordered to series at TNT in January , takes place seven years after the world has become a frozen wasteland and centers on a small band of people who inhabit a gigantic, perpetually moving train that circles the globe. Jennifer Connelly stars along with Daveed Diggs, Mickey Sumner, Susan Park, Benjamin Haigh, Sasha Frolova, Katie McGuinness, Alison Wright, Annalise Basso, Sam Otto, Roberto Urbina, Sheila Vand and Lena Hall.
“Snowpiercer” is a co-production of Tomorrow Studios and Turner’s Studio T, along with CJ Entertainment. The series is executive produced by Tomorrow Studios’ Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements, as well as Bong Joon Ho, Park Chan-wook, Lee Tae-hun and Dooho Choi.
